Brother to Brother, a struggle for equality

The Harlem Renaissance was the rebirth of an artistic and intellectual development within the black community during the 1920’s. A neighborhood in New York, known as Harlem formed Speakeasy’s where music and dance flourished and began to break race barriers. Though the Speakeasy’s in Harlem had begun to bring people together, segregation and racism was still prominent. Many Black artists were unable to perform or get work published because of the discrimination shown towards them. In the movie Brother to Brother we follow the life of a New York college student named Perry. During the movie he crosses paths with a Harlem Renaissance poet, Bruce Nugent, who accompanies Perry on his journey of self-discovery and struggle.

In the very beginning of the movie the issue of struggle is brought up in Perry’s class. The students are talking about Black Political struggle and Perry mentions Black gay men. A few of the student’s get mad and claim it has nothing to do with Black struggle, but Perry argues otherwise. This first scene is an example of the conflict between the struggle for equal rights as black men, and equal rights for gay men. The kids in Perry’s class saw those struggles as two separate things that had nothing to do with each other. Perry argued that they both dealt with the struggles of equality and therefore should be taken just as seriously. Blacks wanted to be given equal rights, and so did Gay men; they were fighting for the same thing.

Another scene in the movie that dealt with struggle was when James Baldwin and Elbridge Cleaver were arguing. The real life footage gave an authenticity and passion towards the issue and approached it differently than what we had seen before. Cleaver argued that equal rights for Blacks needed to happen before they even begin to think about Gays. He thought the black struggle was entirely different and more important. When he talked about Gay sex he referred to it as “lower than scum”. Baldwin retorted that equal rights for Gays, wasn’t any different than equal rights for African Americans. Equal rights are equal, regardless of the ethnicity of sexual orientation.

Later in the movie Nugent is describing an event in his life that happened during the 1920’s. Him and three other poets; Langston Hughes, Wallace Thurman, and Zora Neal Hurtson, were writing a Zine for the public. In their Zine they focused on the other issues regarding Blacks, such as prostitution and “queers”. After reading a review on their Zine they are all baffled by the complete hatred shown towards them. The poets had thought they were writing about the struggles that no one talks about, but instead it seemed like the black community wanted to keep it that way. The Black community wanted the focus to be on equal rights for African Americans. Bringing up so-called “imperfections” in their community might have felt like a threat to them. Blacks were fighting to be seen an equals in our society and talking about Gays and prostitutes might have felt like they were being disgraced or causing them to look bad. In order to make a “proper” image they had to hide the “flaws” of their community.

The struggle for equal rights can be anyone’s struggle; the point is to be treated just as fairly as everyone else. In Brother to Brother no one saw the two struggles as similar except for Perry and Nugent. They also happened to be the only two people going through both of those struggles. Unless you are the victim of an unfair law, right, or prejudice, it’s hard to understand the problem. The Black community was fighting for equal rights. They couldn’t afford to fight for gay rights also. Why push the boundaries when they are so close to crossing them? Brother to Brother illustrated the fearless fight of a young student and an elderly poet who both fought to be understood as black men, as well as gay men. It didn’t matter whether they were straight black men, or gay white men; they just wanted to be treated equally. The struggle for equal rights shouldn’t be separated based any type of criteria. It’s a simple request to be treated as everyone else. No one should have to be convinced.

Whitey's Lindy Hoppers Best Lindy Hop Harlem Congaroo Dancers 1937 Swing...

           Lindy Hop is a partner dance that originated in the 1920's and 30's in Harlem New York. It includes complicated footwork borrowed from both the Charleston and Tap, and is always danced with a partner. Lindy Hop can be both wild and Spontaneous or cool and sophisticated, but either way it's incredibly fun to watch. During the Harlem Renaissance Lindy Hop broke through the "race" barriers and became a dance that all different people enjoyed. People from all over the city could always be found dancing in a Harlem speakeasy. It was the one place they could drink alcohol, and enjoy themselves freely.
            Lindy Hop is an example of the Harlem Renaissance theme, reconstruction of the "negro". It came from a blending of African rhythms and movements with European structured dance. Lindy Hop was created by mixing two different cultures and making something new. It was a type of dance that everyone enjoyed regardless of the segregation going on between Whites and Blacks. This dance was a beginning of something new. Our society is a mixture of hundreds of different cultures all thrown together to create out communities. Lindy Hop is one of the first examples of that. It was born from the racism and discrimination of Harlem New York, and grew into a world known art form.
             I picked this video in particular because it was one of the few videos of Lindy Hop that included African American dancers. Though it's not the best quality, it was important to me to include Black dancers because that was the birthplace of Lindy Hop. I love how everyone in the video looks like they are having so much fun. The bouncing, fast movements, and the expressions on peoples faces shows how Lindy Hop made people feel during desperate times. Lindy Hop was the middle ground for many people, and they were able to forget about racism and unfair rights. I love that a form of dance, out of all things, was able to break some of the barriers between races, and create an enjoyable experience for everyone.

http://www.lindycircle.com/history/lindy_hop/

As I Grew Older
It was a long time ago.
I have almost forgotten my dream
But it was there then,
In front of me,
Bright like a sun-
My dream.
And then slowly,
Slowly
Between me and my dream.
Rose until it touched the sky-
The wall.
Shadow.
I am black.
I lie down in the shadow.
No longer the light of my dream before me,
Above me.
 Only the thick wall.
Only the shadow.
My hands!
My dark hands!
Break through the wall!
Find my dream!
Help me to shatter this darkness,
To smash this night,
To break this shadow
Into a thousand lights of sun,
Into a thousand whirling dreams
Of sun!

-Langston Hughes

             In "As I Grew Older" by Langston Hughes, the reader follows the journey of a black man with a dream who finds the courage to go after it.  The poet uses imagery and symbolism to illustrate the struggle he went through to overcome the boundaries that racism and discrimination had on his dream. The beginning of the poem starts slow as if it were a memory or a dream. "It was a long time ago." The speaker is looking back on his life and remembering a time when his dream shone bright and he had hope. "Bright like a sun-/ My dream." He had faith in himself and what he could accomplish. Hughes illustrates this by adding words like "Bright" and "Sun", which conveys a very hopeful and promising future. As the poem goes on a shadow covers his dream and the speaker succumbs to the darkness. "I lie down in the shadow." The shadow represents his fears, boundaries, and insecurities he faces as a black man in our society. His dream is hidden from him as he gives up and feels hopeless in our world of racism and discrimination. Then Hughes surprises us when the speaker suddenly finds the strength within himself. "My black hands!/ Break through the wall!" He realizes how strong he is and finds the power and pride within to push through the "wall" of darkness. He is able to "break this shadow" and turn it into a "thousand lights of sun,". Hughes use of symbolism and metaphors for racism to create a powerful and encouraging feeling for the reader. The speakers ability to see past all the hatred shown towards him exemplifies the faith he has in himself and his dream.
            The Harlem Renaissance themes I found throughout this poem were racism and pride. The idea around a shadow of darkness that "covers" people's dreams represents a true issue that many African Americans faced during the 1920's. Because of the discrimination against them, there were restrictions on what Blacks could accomplish. Langston Hughes portrays this idea perfectly in his poem about faith and pride.
             As I was searching for poems I started looking at poems Langston Hughes has written. I wanted to post one by Langston because I heard so much about him and he was also a prominent character in the movie we watched in class, Brother to Brother. When I found his poem I recognized it as one we had read in AP English at the very beginning of the year. As I read through it, images and ideas starting to come through and I immediately knew I had to use this poem. The idea Hughes was trying to convey to his audience is so clear and relevant to the topics we are studying in class. I love the metaphor he uses and the strength and passion he shows within the poem are truly powerful. We should all see this poem as inspiration for pushing past barriers and following our dreams.